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New Clips From 'Voyage of the Dawn Treader' & 'The Tempest'

Fantasy is the name of the game this week as both The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Tempest aim to transport moviegoers to an other-worldly realm full of mystical creatures, dangerous adventure, and Russell Brand prancing about in a dress.

Both of these pics officially hit theaters this Friday and coincidentally involve a sea journey affected by forces of magic - though the latest Chronicles of Narnia offers much more appeal for those uninterested in Shakespearean dialogue or director Julie Taymor's breed of visual extravaganza.

Voyage of the Dawn Treader features the return of Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes as siblings Lucy and Edmund Pevensie, who return to the world of Narnia once more (this time, via an enchanted painting). Joining them on a quest to find seven banished lords and restore peace to the world is the newly-crowned King Caspian (Ben Barnes); the Pevensie's skeptical cousin, Eustace Scrubb (Will Pouter); and a host of Narnia locals, including humans, minotaurs and the sword-happy mouse Reepicheep (voice of Simon Pegg).

The latest Chronicles of Narnia will be chock full of imaginative creatures and enchanted objects that are once again brought to life thanks to the magic of CGI (pun intended). While the film's visual F/X don't look as cutting-edge as one might hope, it's the innocent tone and fun nature of the plot that will hopefully give moviegoers a reason to check out Voyage of the Dawn Treader in (2D or 3D) theaters this week.

Check out footage from the film (which contains a magical book, strange creatures called dufflepods, and a pond with the touch of Midas) below:

The Tempest

It's been four centuries since the final theatrical work credited to Shakespeare, The Tempest, was written and now Across the Universe helmer Taymor has unleashed her own cinematic take on the tale, which switches up the gender of the sorcerer Prospero (now Prospera, played by Dame Helen Mirren).

The Bard's tale of a vengeful magician, shipwrecked villains, clownish servants, and a mischievous spirit named Ariel is a classic, no doubt, but early word of mouth is that Taymor's Tempest sacrifices the substance of the story at the expense of an extravagant (if mildly overwhelming) visual style.

Judging by the Tempest footage below, the film looks to crank up the stylish colors, creative costumes/makeup, and booming musical accompaniment to 11 - which is a shame, since the gravity of Mirren's performance and the Shakespearean prose in general looks to suffer for it.

Check out a couple of clips from The Tempest below (via Collider) and see what you make of it: